Increase in Children's Traffic Accidents in May: "Many Signal Violations and Crosswalk Accidents"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Hyung-gil] It has been found that the highest number of child traffic accidents occur in May and August.

Accidents while crossing crosswalks are more frequent among lower-grade elementary school students. With the enforcement of the Min-sik Act, which increases the penalty severity for traffic accidents involving children in school zones, greater caution regarding child traffic accidents is required.

According to the Korea Insurance Development Institute on the 2nd, the number of child traffic accident victims last year was 112,558, a 5.5% increase compared to the previous year.

Among child victims, there were many victims and fatalities in lower grades such as 1st and 2nd grade elementary students. This is understood to be due to the need to adapt to a new commuting environment and relatively weaker situational response abilities.

Additionally, child victims mostly occur between May and October, when outdoor activities are frequent, with a high proportion in August, the vacation season. While overall traffic accident victims were most frequent in October (9.1%) and November (9.0%), child victims were most frequent in August (10.2%), October (9.3%), and May (9.2%).

Children had a higher proportion of crosswalk violation accidents compared to adults. Among causes of child traffic accidents, signal violations (36.1%) and crosswalk violations (20.6%) were common.

The seatbelt usage rate among child victims riding in vehicles was 73.0% last year, similar to the previous year (73.1%), but still lower compared to the overall victim rate across all age groups (83.3%).

It is advised to always check that children wear seatbelts when riding in vehicles, and children under the age of six must use child restraint devices (car seats) before fastening seatbelts.

Furthermore, under the revised Road Traffic Act and Special Act (Min-sik Act) enforced since March 25, drivers who violate child protection duties in school zones will face aggravated penalties.

Since an average of 496 child victims occur annually within school zones, it is necessary to strictly observe speed limits and exercise special caution to prevent accidents within these protected areas.

Jang Jae-il, head of the Automobile Insurance Statistics Team at the Korea Insurance Research Institute, said, "Continuous attention and efforts from policy authorities and insurance industry workers are required to create an environment where precious children, who will lead the country's future, can grow up safely."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.